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Rockies acquire Boggs from Cardinals

Rockies acquire Boggs from Cardinals

4/6/13: Mitchell Boggs earns his first save of 2013 by getting Marco Scutaro to fly out to right, sealing the Cardinals' 6-3 victory

By Ian McCue, Thomas Harding and AJ Cassavell
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MLB.com |

The Rockies acquired right-handed reliever Mitchell Boggs from St. Louis on Tuesday, and Boggs will be optioned to Double-A Tulsa. In exchange, the Cardinals received an international signing bonus slot.

"He's another arm that we have down there we can go to," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We'll see how he does down there, but he's got a track record up here, a successful one. It's a nice asset to have. He just needs to pitch, show that he's healthy and go from there."

In a corresponding move to clear room on Colorado's 40-man roster, the Rockies designated right-hander Joe Gardner for assignment.

Sending Boggs to Tulsa rather than the extreme altitude of Triple-A Colorado Springs is a strategy the Rockies used with left-hander Colin McHugh, who arrived in a trade with the Mets. McHugh has moved to Colorado Springs.

"The Springs is a tough place to throw a guy into, so it's nice to go to Tulsa for a few outings before you get thrown into the fire there," Weiss said.

The 29-year-old Boggs struggled in 18 appearances this season, posting an ERA of 11.05. He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis in May, and went 0-2 with a 5.70 ERA in 18 appearances -- three of them starts.

Despite the poor numbers this season, Boggs was one of the Cardinals' most reliable options out of the 'pen in 2012, when he led the National League with 34 holds and notched a 2.21 ERA. In six seasons for St. Louis, Boggs was 13-15 with a 4.15 ERA.